sea transport, 2018 - gov.wales · map: major sea ports locations in wales, 2018 milford haven is...

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Statistician: James Khonje ~ 0300 025 0210 ~ [email protected] Enquiries from the press: 0300 025 8099 Public enquiries: 0300 025 5050 Twitter: @StatisticsWales Sea transport, 2018 27 Nov 2019 SB 56/2019 Main points Freight traffic at Welsh ports fell by 4.8 per cent in 2018 to 49.2 million tonnes (Mt). This is the lowest level since comparable records began in 1976 (Chart 2). Of traffic at major ports in Wales, 84.0 per cent was foreign traffic with 60.1 per cent being foreign imports. The majority of foreign imports and exports consisted of bulk products including crude oil, oil products, liquefied gas and ores.). Welsh ports also act as a gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe. Nearly three quarters of goods carried on Irish registered heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) between the Republic of Ireland and Europe passed through Welsh ports, equivalent to 0.4Mt. 71.0 per cent of this traffic passed through Holyhead port. Chart 1: Movement of sea freight and passengers between Wales and Ireland, 1998 - 2018 Source: Department for Transport 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 Index (1998=100) Total Freight Total Annual Sea Passengers Over the long term, total sea passenger movement between the Republic of Ireland and Wales has declined. 75.5 per cent of passengers travelling between the Republic of Ireland and Wales in 2018 used the route between Holyhead and Dublin. About this bulletin This annual statistical bulletin sets out information about ports in Wales for 2018. It covers the freight traffic through these ports; passengers and freight traffic between Wales and the Republic of Ireland; and ship arrivals at Welsh ports. This bulletin provides key analysis with tables of underlying data available on the StatsWales website. In this bulletin The main ports in Wales 2 Quarterly imports and exports 3 Foreign and domestic cargo and Traffic 4 Ports in Wales compared with the rest of the UK 5 Freight movements to and from the Republic of Ireland through Welsh ports 6 Passenger movements through Welsh ports 7 Key quality information 11

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Page 1: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

Statistician: James Khonje ~ 0300 025 0210 ~ [email protected]

Enquiries from the press: 0300 025 8099 Public enquiries: 0300 025 5050 Twitter: @StatisticsWales

Sea transport, 2018 27 Nov 2019

SB 56/2019

Main points

Freight traffic at Welsh ports fell by 4.8 per cent in 2018 to 49.2 million tonnes

(Mt). This is the lowest level since comparable records began in 1976

(Chart 2).

Of traffic at major ports in Wales, 84.0 per cent was

foreign traffic with 60.1 per cent being foreign imports.

The majority of foreign imports and exports consisted

of bulk products including crude oil, oil products,

liquefied gas and ores.).

Welsh ports also act as a gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest

of Europe.

Nearly three quarters of goods carried on Irish registered heavy goods

vehicles (HGVs) between the Republic of Ireland and Europe passed

through Welsh ports, equivalent to 0.4Mt. 71.0 per cent of this traffic

passed through Holyhead port.

Chart 1: Movement of sea freight and passengers between Wales and Ireland, 1998 - 2018

Source: Department for Transport

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018

Ind

ex

(1998=

100)

Total Freight Total Annual Sea Passengers

Over the long term, total sea passenger movement between the

Republic of Ireland and Wales has declined.

75.5 per cent of passengers travelling between the Republic of Ireland

and Wales in 2018 used the route between Holyhead and Dublin.

About this bulletin

This annual statistical

bulletin sets out

information about ports in

Wales for 2018. It covers

the freight traffic through

these ports; passengers

and freight traffic

between Wales and the

Republic of Ireland; and

ship arrivals at Welsh

ports. This bulletin

provides key analysis

with tables of underlying

data available on the

StatsWales website.

In this bulletin

The main ports in Wales 2

Quarterly imports and

exports 3

Foreign and domestic

cargo and Traffic 4

Ports in Wales compared

with the rest of the UK 5

Freight movements to

and from the Republic of

Ireland through Welsh

ports 6

Passenger movements

through Welsh ports 7

Key quality information 11

Page 2: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

2

Section 1: Sea freight

Total freight traffic through Welsh ports in 2018 was 49.2 million tonnes (Mt) (Chart 2). This has

been gradually falling over the last 50 years and now stands at the lowest level since comparable

records began in 1976.

Chart 2: Freight through Welsh ports, 1976 to 2018

Source: Department for Transport

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

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80

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76

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80

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84

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88

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92

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96

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04

20

08

20

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16

Mil

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es

Year

Of the 49.2 Mt of freight through Welsh ports, 32.7 Mt were goods inwards and 16.5 Mt were goods

outwards. Welsh ports accounted for 10.2 per cent of the total UK port traffic. The largest

components of these flows were:

oil products, with total traffic of 18.4 Mt, of which nearly 10.9 Mt was goods outwards. 3.6

Mt were sent to destinations elsewhere in the UK and 7.3 Mt were exported to the rest of

the world.

crude oil, with total traffic of 8.6 Mt, most of which was goods inwards. 0.1 Mt came from

the rest of the UK and 8.3 Mt was imported from elsewhere in the world

liquefied gas, with total traffic of 3.8 Mt.

The main ports in Wales

The three most important ports in Wales meet specialised shipping needs (Map):

Milford Haven handles mainly crude oil, oil products and liquefied natural gas

Port Talbot imports iron ore and coal mostly for the adjacent steelworks

Holyhead is the main port for freight and sea passenger transport with the Irish Republic.

The other major ports include Fishguard, Swansea, Cardiff, and Newport (Map) and there are also

a number of minor ports in Wales: Barry, Mostyn, Neath, Llanddulas, Port Penrhyn and Burry Port.

Page 3: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

3

Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018

Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

predominantly through oil and gas traffic. It handled 30.9 Mt of traffic in 2018, which was 6.4 per

cent of the UK total for 2018. Freight traffic at Milford Haven accounts for 62.9 per cent of all Welsh

port traffic. When compared with 2017, Milford Haven traffic decreased by 1.1 Mt (3.3 per cent)

(see StatsWales) (Chart 3).

Chart 3: Wales’s major ports total freight 2017 and 2018

Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport data

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Milford Haven Port Talbot Holyhead Newport Cardiff Swansea Fishguard

Po

rt F

reig

ht

in M

illio

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s

Wales Major Ports

2017 Freight 2018 Freight

Page 4: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

4

Imports and exports

Figures for Wales largely reflect activity at Milford Haven. Imports to Milford Haven increased

significantly from 2009 to 2011 and remained relatively high for a few years before falling again. In

2018 they were comparable to the levels seen between 2000 and 2009.

In 2018 Milford Haven saw a high of 5.45 Mt imports in quarter 4 and a low of 4.35 Mt imports in

quarter 1. Exports from Milford Haven have been relatively stable in recent years with a 2018 high

of 3.32 Mt exports in quarter 2 and a low of 2.52 Mt exports in quarter 1 (Chart 4).

Chart 4: Quarterly imports and exports from 2000 to 2018

Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport data

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3 Q1 Q3

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Mil

lio

n to

nn

es

Wales Total Imports Imports - Milford Haven Wales Total Exports Exports - Milford Haven

Foreign and domestic traffic and cargo

Sea traffic refers to the number of ship arrivals and departures at a port whilst cargo refers to

goods. In 2018, 84.0 per cent of traffic at major ports in Wales was foreign traffic with 60.1 per cent

being foreign imports. Comparing domestic and foreign traffic:

98.4 per cent of crude oil traffic through the ports of Wales was for foreign imports and

exports (96.5 per cent imports, 1.9 per cent exports). The remaining 1.6 per cent consisted

of domestic traffic (Chart 5).

Around three quarters (75.6 per cent) of oil products traffic was foreign traffic, of which 39.8

per cent was foreign exports and 35.8 per cent was foreign imports.

For roll-on/roll-off traffic there was an even split between foreign and domestic cargo.

Page 5: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

5

Chart 5: Domestic and Foreign Traffic at major Welsh ports, 2018

Source: Department for Transport

98.4%

1.6%

Crudeoil

75.6%

24.4%

Oilproducts

50.1%

49.9%

Roll-on/Roll-off

Foreign

Domestic

When looking at foreign imports and exports

imports were higher than exports, with 31 Mt and 12 Mt respectively

the majority of traffic was either liquid bulk (26 Mt) or dry bulk (8 Mt). Liquid bulk includes

products such as liquefied gas, crude oil, oil products, and dry bulk includes coal and ores.

liquid bulk imports decreased by 4.3 per cent in 2018, whilst liquid bulk exports increased

by 9.6 per cent compared with 2017. Dry bulk decreased during the same period.

More detail is available on StatsWales.

Page 6: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

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Freight movements to and from the Republic of Ireland through Welsh ports

In 2018, 556,000 lorries and unaccompanied trailers passed through Welsh ports to and

from Ireland. Around half came from Ireland and half travelled to Ireland. 81 per cent of this

traffic went through Holyhead (see StatsWales).

Welsh ports act as a gateway between the Republic of Ireland and the rest of Europe.

Nearly three quarters (0.4 Mt) of goods carried on Irish registered HGVs between the

Republic of Ireland and Europe pass through Wales. 71.0 per cent of this traffic passed

through ports in North Wales though Holyhead port. (see StatsWales and Table 2).

Of goods carried on Irish registered HGVs from the Republic of Ireland to the continent in

2018, 68.0 per cent went through Wales.

Of goods carried on Irish registered HGVs to Ireland from the continent, 82.4 per cent went

through Wales. The majority of this HGV traffic between Wales and the Republic of Ireland

passed through Holyhead1.

Table 2: Goods carried on Irish registered HGVs between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, 2018

Million tonnes of goods

Via North Wales ports Via South Wales ports Via other routes All

From Ireland to:

Northern Ireland ~ ~ 2.4 2.4

UK ex N. Ireland 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.4

Continent 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3

All 0.3 0.1 2.7 3.1

To Ireland from:

Northern Ireland 0.0 0.0 1.5 1.5

UK ex N. Ireland 0.3 0.0 0.1 0.5

Continent 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.2

All 0.5 0.1 1.7 2.2

Note: Source: Central Statistical Office Ireland

~ : Not applicable

Ports in Wales compared with the rest of the United Kingdom

For the UK as a whole, Grimsby and Immingham remained the UK’s leading port in 2018 in terms

of traffic tonnage, handling 55.6 Mt (11.5 per cent of UK traffic). It was followed by London with

53.2 Mt (11.0 per cent of UK traffic), and Southampton with 34.5 Mt (7.1 per cent of UK Traffic)2.

The Welsh port of Milford Haven was 5th, handling 30.9 Mt of freight (6.4 per cent of UK Traffic).

There was a slight downward trend between 2005 and 2009 in the volume of total sea traffic in

Wales (Charts 6a and 6b). This coincided with a decrease in port traffic through the rest of the UK.

1 Source: Central Statistical Office Ireland 2 See Department for Transport website

Page 7: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

7

Since 2010 the amount of traffic has fluctuated annually in both Wales and the rest of the UK.

Wales saw a peak in sea transport traffic during 2011 where a total 65.5 Mt passed through Welsh

ports. At UK level, there has been a slight decrease since 2010. Scotland has continued to see

decreases whereas freight in Northern Ireland has increased gradually since 2009.

Chart 6a: All port traffic through Wales and rest of UK, 2004 to 2018

Source: Department for Transport

Chart 6b: Port traffic through Wales, Scotland and NI, 2004-2018

Source: Department for Transport

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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lio

n to

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es

United Kingdom England Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

0

20

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120

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

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Scotland Wales Northern Ireland

Page 8: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

8

Total freight traffic through UK ports in 2018 was 483.0 Mt (Table 1), a 0.3 per cent decrease on

2017, and 15.6 per cent below the 2004 level. Compared with 2017, inwards traffic increased by

3.1 per cent to 310.1 Mt and outwards traffic decreased by 4.3 per cent to 173.2 Mt. Wales was the

only UK country to see decreases in both inwards and outwards traffic between 2017 and 2018.

Table 1: All port traffic, inwards and outwards, by UK country, 2013 to 2018

Million tonnes Per cent

% change

2017 2018 2017 to 2018

England

Inwards 231 240 4.2% ▲

Outwards 105 100 -4.8% ▼

All 336 340 1.4% ▲

Wales

Inwards 35 33 -5.7% ▼

Outwards 17 16 -3.0% ▼

All 52 49 -4.8% ▼

Scotland

Inwards 19 20 4.2% ▲

Outwards 48 45 -5.6% ▼

All 67 65 -2.8% ▼

Northern Ireland

Inwards 17 17 3.7% ▲

Outwards 10 11 6.0% ▲

All 27 28 4.6% ▲

United Kingdom

Inwards 301 310 3.0% ▲

Outwards 181 173 -4.2% ▼

All 482 483 0.3% ▲

Source: Welsh Government analysis of Department for Transport data

StatsWales

Page 9: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

9

Section 2: Sea passengers

The number of ferry passengers using Welsh ports fell consistently from 1998 to 2012 and has

remained roughly stable since (Table 3) (Chart 7).

The main Welsh ports used by passengers are Fishguard, Milford Haven and Holyhead. Since

1998, passenger movements between Ireland and Welsh ferry ports fell by 64 per cent at

Fishguard, 36 per cent at Milford Haven and 31 per cent at Holyhead. Over the last year, sea

passenger traffic through Holyhead, Fishguard and Milford Haven decreased by 0.4 per cent, 2.8

per cent and 4.5 per cent respectively.

Chart 7: Sea Passengers between Wales and Irish Republic Ports, 1999 to 2018

Source: Department for Transport

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

Th

ou

san

ds

Holyhead accounts for three quarters of passenger traffic between Wales and the Republic of

Ireland. Historically, there were two routes between Holyhead and the Irish Republic (Dublin and

Dun Laoghaire). The route to Dun Laoghaire was the busiest in 1998 with over 1.7 million

passenger movements, however following a consistent decline it was removed in 2015. Alongside

this, the Holyhead to Dublin route saw an overall increase in passenger numbers from just over 1

million in 1998 to just over 1.9 million in 2018, an increase of 82 per cent. The number of

passengers decreased from 1.92 million in 2017 to 1.91 million (0.4 per cent) in 2018 (Chart 8).

Page 10: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

10

Chart 8: Passenger numbers between Holyhead and the Republic of Ireland

Table 3: Sea passenger traffic between (both to and from) Wales and the Irish Republic by port, 1998 to 2018 (a)(b)

Thousands

Holyhead - Holyhead - Holyhead - Mostyn - Fishguard - Milford Haven - Swansea -

Dublin Dun Laoghaire all routes Dublin Rosslare Rosslare Cork

1998 1,051 1,724 2,775 - 810 512 158 4,255

1999 1,193 1,348 2,541 - 830 495 133 3,999

2000 1,342 1,176 2,518 - 832 463 124 3,937

2001 1,316 1,064 2,380 5 687 388 122 3,582

2002 1,354 1,017 2,371 44 662 387 121 3,585

2003 1,350 984 2,333 48 645 384 118 3,528

2004 1,376 887 2,262 10 614 378 116 3,380

2005 1,327 847 2,173 . 590 321 100 3,184

2006 1,311 745 2,057 . 584 333 81 3,055

2007 1,404 734 2,138 . 597 379 - 3,114

2008 1,374 622 1,996 . 554 345 - 2,895

2009 1,598 343 1,942 . 501 315 - 2,757

2010 1,821 252 2,073 . 419 325 94 2,910

2011 1,781 238 2,020 . 410 313 59 2,802

2012 1,709 189 1,898 . 364 329 . 2,591

2013 1,766 188 1,954 . 333 328 . 2,615

2014 1,875 139 2,013 . 351 322 . 2,686

2015 1,970 . 1,970 . 327 335 . 2,632

2016 1,927 1,927 . 298 339 . 2,564

2017 1,920 1,920 . 303 341 . 2,565

2018 1,914 1,914 . 295 326 . 2,534

Notes: Source: Department for Transport

(a) Totals may not add up due to rounding.

(b) '-' nil or less than half the f inal digit show n, '.' data is not applicable

Total Annual

Sea

Passengers

.

....

.

..

In addition, just over 2.5 million sea passengers travelled between Wales and Ireland. 1.9

million of these passed through Holyhead with the remainder using the ports of Fishguard

and Milford Haven (see StatsWales). There were also 689,000 accompanied passenger

vehicles in 2018, representing a 1.6 percent decrease compared to 2017 figure.

Source: Department for Transport

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017

Pa

sse

ng

er

nu

mb

ers

(th

ou

sa

nd

s) Holyhead - Dublin Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire

Holyhead - Dun Laoghaire route cease operations

Page 11: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

11

Key quality information

1 Context

1.1 Related publications

The Department for Transport produces a range of statistics relating to the maritime sector

presenting information on domestic waterborne freight, ports, sea passengers, shipping fleets and

sea farers.

Transport Scotland produce a compendium publication titled ‘Scottish Transport Statistics’ which

includes a chapter on Water Transport.

The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency publish an annual statistics bulletin titled

'Northern Ireland Ports Traffic' providing statistics on passenger and freight traffic through Northern

Ireland ports.

1.2 Symbols

In tables where figures have been rounded to the nearest final digit, there may be an apparent

discrepancy between the sum of the constituent items and the total shown.

The following symbols have been used throughout the bulletin:

- nil or less than half the final digit shown

. not applicable

2. Relevance

These figures are compiled by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Central Statistical Office

Ireland (CSO Ireland). The UK-level data, together with a full description of the sources and

methods used to compile these data can be found on the GOV.UK website. These statistics are

used within and outside the Welsh Government to monitor trends in sea transport and as a

baseline for further analysis. They are also used by Welsh Government to assess the impact of the

UK’s departure from the European Union.

3. Accuracy

Freight data

Source of data

Port freight traffic statistics are based on a combination of data reported to the DfT by port

authorities and shipping lines or their agents. Prior to 2000 reporting was by port authorities only.

The current collection arrangements for port freight traffic statistics were introduced on 1 January

2000 to meet the requirements of the European Commission (EC) Maritime Statistics Directive

(Council Directive 95/64/EC on statistical returns in respect of the carriage of goods and

passengers by sea, recast as Directive 2009/42/EC).

Coverage

The statistics relate to traffic to and from ports in Wales. UK-level figures do not cover ports in the

Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

Page 12: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

12

Major and minor ports

Ports are classified as either major or minor by DfT on the basis of current and historical trends in

cargo volumes. More detailed data are collected for major ports than for the minor ports, and this is

reflected in the statistics which can be produced.

Weights

All weights are tonnes gross, including crates and other packaging. The tare weights of containers,

road goods vehicles, trailers and other items of transport equipment (i.e. the unloaded weight of

the vehicle or equipment itself) are excluded.

Cargo types

Major port traffic is classified by cargo type. Cargo type is defined primarily in terms of the means

by which the goods are loaded onto or off the vessel - although for some cargo types there is some

further subdivision into broad commodities, the method of loading takes priority. A table of cargo

types is shown below.

Category Description Cargo Code

Unitised traffic

Containers 20 ft freight units 31

40 ft freight units 32

Freight units > 20 ft & < 40 ft 33

Freight units > 40 ft 34

Roll-on/Roll-off (self- propelled)

Road goods vehicles with or without accompanying trailers

51

Passenger cars, motorcycles and accompanying trailers/caravans

52

Passenger buses 53

Import/Export motor vehicles 54

Live animals on the hoof 56

Other mobile self-propelled units 59

Roll-on/Roll-off (non self- propelled)

Unaccompanied road goods trailers & semi-trailers

61

Unaccompanied caravans and other road, agricultural and industrial vehicles

62

Rail wagons, shipborne port to port trailers, and shipborne barges engaged in goods transport

63

Other mobile non self-propelled units 69

Non-unitised traffic

Liquid Bulk Liquefied gas 11

Crude oil 12

Oil products 13

Other liquid bulk products 19

Dry Bulk Ores 21

Coal 22

Agricultural products 23

Other dry bulk 29

Other general cargo Forestry products 91

Iron and steel products 92

Other general cargo & containers < 20 ft 99

Page 13: Sea transport, 2018 - GOV.WALES · Map: Major sea ports locations in Wales, 2018 Milford Haven is the largest port in Wales and the fifth largest port in the UK by volume of freight,

13

Unitised goods

Goods which are lifted on or off the vessel in large (20 foot or longer) shipping containers, or rolled

on or off in one of a variety of self-propelled or towed units are said to be unitised cargoes. For

these cargo types, the number of units as well as the weight of goods is recorded. Subsets of

unitised goods are main freight units consisting of all containers and those ro-ro units which are

designed to carry freight (categories 51, 61 and 63 above). The purpose of the main freight unit

classification is that it excludes those ro-ro units which are not freight carrying – i.e. passenger

vehicles, trade vehicles, and other specialised vehicles and trailers.

Geographical classification of traffic

UK port traffic is classified geographically according to where the goods were last loaded or next

unloaded at the other end of the sea journey. All traffic is either domestic or foreign.

Sea passenger data

These figures are compiled by the Department for Transport (DfT). UK-level data, together with a

full description of the sources and methods used to compile these data can be found on the

GOV.UK website.

Source of data

International ferry passenger statistics are collected monthly from ferry operators by DfT. They

include drivers of lorries, coaches and other vehicles but exclude passengers on purely domestic

routes.

Ship arrival statistics

They are compiled by the Department for Transport (DfT) and a link to the UK-level data, together

with a full description of the sources and methods used to compile these data can be found on the

GOV.UK website.

Source of data

The primary source used was commercially obtained vessel movement data from Lloyds List

Intelligence (LLI) which is now merged with other information on ship movements obtained by DfT

through the system described above for all cargo or passenger carrying movements at major ports

and the sea passenger survey. The three data sources are merged at the level of individual

vessels calling at each port. The maximum number of calls from any of the three sources is taken

as the final estimate.

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14

Coverage and quality

The data are considered a reasonably accurate estimate of the number of commercial shipping

movements at UK ports, but are not necessarily exact, and the coverage of certain vessel or traffic

types may be variable at the margins. Ship arrival data are not classified as National Statistics.

The following table shows the classification of ships types and the ships arrival that are not

covered.

Ship type Trading status Vessel types included

Tankers Trading Oil tanker, oil-chemical tanker, chemical tanker, liquid gas tanker, other tanker

Ro-Ro vessels Trading Ro-Ro passenger, Ro-Ro containers, Ro-Ro other cargo

Fully cellular container vessels

Trading Container (fully cellular)

Other dry cargo vessels Trading Bulk carrier, bulk-oil carrier, refrigerated cargo, specialised carrier, general cargo, general cargo-passenger

Passenger* Trading Passenger, cruise

Other vessels* Non-trading Offshore supply, dredging, bunkering tanker

Not included: Work boats which are unlikely to be carrying cargoes

Non-trading Fish catching, other fishing, offshore (except supply), tugs or towing/pushing craft, offshore vessels other than supply ships, such as drilling vessels, pilot vessels, research ships, fishing boats, military vessels, research, other work vessels, non-seagoing ships, non-merchant ships, non-propelled vessels, non-ship structures, vessels of unknown or unrecorded type

4. Timeliness and punctuality

This bulletin reports on Sea Transport in Wales during 2017. Information covers traffic to and from

ports in Wales. UK-level figures do not cover ports in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands. This

bulletin is based on annual data which is published by the Department for Transport.

Related publications are available from the Statistics and Research website.

Sea Transport statistics for Wales are available on the StatsWales website.

5. Accessibility and clarity

This statistical bulletin is pre-announced and then published on the Statistics & Research website

and is accompanied by tables on our StatsWales website.

6. Comparability and coherence

The Department for Transport produces a range of statistics relating to the maritime sector

presenting information on domestic waterborne freight, ports, sea passengers, shipping fleets and

sea farers.

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National Statistics status

The United Kingdom Statistics Authority has designated these statistics as National Statistics, in

accordance with the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 and signifying compliance with

the Code of Practice for Statistics.

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of

trustworthiness, quality and public value, and it is our responsibility to maintain compliance with

these standards.

All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics. They are

awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the UK Statistics Authority’s

regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code

compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. The designation of these

statistics as National Statistics was confirmed in July 2013 following a full assessment against the

Code of Practice.

Since the latest review by the Office for Statistics Regulation, we have continued to comply with

the Code of Practice for Statistics, and have made the following improvements:

Improved visuals by de-cluttering and standardising charts and tables

It is Welsh Government’s responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected of

National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the

appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics

status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated

when standards are restored.

Well-being of Future Generations Act (WFG)

The Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015 is about improving the social, economic,

environmental and cultural well-being of Wales. The Act puts in place seven well-being goals for

Wales. These are for a more equal, prosperous, resilient, healthier and globally responsible Wales,

with cohesive communities and a vibrant culture and thriving Welsh language. Under section

(10)(1) of the Act, the Welsh Ministers must (a) publish indicators (“national indicators”) that must

be applied for the purpose of measuring progress towards the achievement of the Well-being

goals, and (b) lay a copy of the national indicators before the National Assembly. The 46 national

indicators were laid in March 2016 and this release does not include any of the national indicators.

Information on the indicators, along with narratives for each of the well-being goals and associated

technical information is available in the Well-being of Wales report.

Further information on the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The statistics included in this release could also provide supporting narrative to the national

indicators and be used by public services boards in relation to their local well-being assessments

and local well-being plans.

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Further details

The document is available at: https://gov.wales/sea-transport-2018

Next update

November 2020 (provisional)

We want your feedback

We welcome any feedback on any aspect of these statistics which can be provided to:

[email protected]

Open Government Licence

All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.